S

S –SPRITE, SPHINX, SATYR

A sprite can refer to a spirit, ghost, elf, fairy, pixie, or water sprite.

The water sprites, or Neck, are shape-shifting water spirits that usually take on a human form.

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The sphinx had a human head on a lion’s body, with great wings. If you cannot solve her riddle, you would suffer a terrible fate. Egypt regarded them as benign, while the Greek’s thought of it as murderous. 

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most popular land structures known. The head is thought to be the pharaoh Khafra.

Said to guard the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes, travelers would have to answer a riddle in order to gain passage. Later, the riddle was said to be: "Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?" If not answered correctly, she would eat the person. Oedipus solved it by answering, “Man—who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane in old age”.

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The Greek mythology tells of satyrs being the male companions to Pan and Dionysus, who played pipes, and roamed the woods and mountains. Often they are shown with strong builds, flat noses, large pointed ears, and long, curly hair. Also common is the depiction of having a man’s torso attached to the lower part of a goat. They love wine and women, and love to dance with nymphs. Baby or child satyrs are often seen in art and film.

The above information and pictures were found at Wikipedia.